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Reading Racers v Somerset Rebels
Premier Trophy (Group), 02 May 2005
Smallmead Stadium, Reading
| 1 | Andrew Appleton | R | 2 | 3 | 0 | . | . | . | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | Chris Mills | 2 | 1* | 3 | 2* | . | . | . | 8 | 2 |
| 3 | Zdenek Simota | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1* | . | . | 12 | 1 |
| 4 | Richard Wolff | 2* | 1* | 1 | 2 | . | . | . | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | Matej Zagar | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . | . | 14 | 0 |
| 6(g) | Jamie Westacott | 0 | 0 | 0 | . | . | . | . | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Mathieu Tresarrieu | 1 | 1 | F | 0 | 1* | . | . | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | Magnus Zetterstrom | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | . | . | 13 | 0 |
| 3 | Ritchie Hawkins | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | . | . | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Paul Fry | R | 1* | 0 | 3 | . | . | . | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | Glenn Cunningham | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1* | 0 | . | . | 8 | 1 |
| 6 | Lee Smart | 3 | 0 | M | 0 | 1* | . | . | 4 | 1 |
| 7 | Jason King | 2* | R | 0 | 1* | Fx | . | . | 3 | 2 |
| 8(g) | Ben Barker | 1 | 1* | . | . | . | . | . | 2 | 1 |
* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).
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Reading met Somerset in their return Premier Trophy match having gone down by only 3 points at Somerset. The Racers had Jamie Westacott at number 6. Somerset were still missing Jamie Smith so used Rider Replacement at number 2. They again nominated Ben Barker as their number 8. Somerset were off to a winning start when Andrew Appleton suffered an engine failure in the opening heat for a 2-4 to the Rebels and better was to come for the visitors as they took a 1-5 in heat 2 to lead 3-9. Their luck ran out in heat 3 as Paul Fry had an engine failure at the start of the race and Reading took a 5-1 of their own. They were back on level terms with a 4-2 in heat 4 so the score was 12-12. The next four heats were all shared before Reading finally got their noses in front with a 4-2 in heat 9 thanks to a Simota win from Cunningham and a Wolff third place. They followed that with a 5-1 in heat 10 from Appleton and Mills and now led by 33-27. Matej Zagar and Zdenek Simota won heats 11 and 12 but both times Somerset filled the minor places so the lead was still 6 points going into heat 13. In this heat Matej Zagar beat Magnus Zetterstrom for the second time but Glenn Cunningham kept Andrew Appleton at the back so there were still only six points between the sides at 42-36 with two races left. In heat 14 Paul Fry finally came to life to win the heat after Jason King had fallen causing the race to be rerun with Reading on a 5-1 at the time. The shared heat clinched the match for Reading. There was still the matter of the bonus point though with Somerset needing a 1-5 to clinch it in the last heat. Magnus Zetterstrom did his bit by beating Matej Zagar but Glenn Cunningham finished behind Zdenek Simota for the ninth shared heat and fifth on the trot. Match Report by Merlin |